What’s The Deal with ‘RocketJump: The Show?’

If you spend too much of your free time surfing YouTube, you probably already know the name RocketJump. They are an original Web content production company that specializes in explosions, pop culture fusions, and general insanity. You may know them from their series, Video Game High School.

Way back in 2015, the production company came out with a Hulu original called RocketJump: The Show. The documentary series took viewers behind the scenes as the company made eight shorts in a ridiculously short (see what I did there?) amount of time. As we told you before, it’s a fun watch that brings new meaning to the term “behind-the-scenes.” However, yesterday the show concluded, making me wonder how the crew rose to their self-appointed challenge: creating the eight most popular videos on the Web. Lofty aspirations, for sure. So how did they do and which of their creations do you need to stream now?

Episode One, “The Good, The Fast, and The Furious”

They say to start and end strong, and with this first short, RocketJump: The Show takes that advice to heart. This one’s a Western, cowboy hats, horse racing, bar broads, alcoholism, and all. When some rowdy punks show up in town, it’s up to the town’s sheriff to race for the town. There are more explosions and less pistol dueling than you would think. However, this short gave me a viewing fusion I didn’t realize was missing from my life — Western rap.

Like Another Period before it, the short blends modernized old West visuals (there are some pretty sexy cowboys and girls making out) with hip hop, and the result is funny and weirdly cool. It fits somehow. Other than the spot-on music, this one fell flat in several parts. The dialogue ranged from so corny it was funny to cringe-worthy, and at 12 minutes, an eternity in Internet time, the short felt too long. The video currently has over 324,500 views, so I don’t think I’m alone in my lukewarm feelings, but it’s worth checking out if you like Westerns.

Episode Two, “Fan Friction”

This one was by far my favorite, and at over 953,800 views, I don’t think I was alone. It’s not that the others were bad; this short is just really good and SUPER in tune with the Internet. The short starts with BBC Sherlock determining the cause of death for a Jedi before he squares off in a lightsaber duel against Dracula. Yes, you read all of that correctly.

The short zooms out, and that’s when you realize that you’re actually watching a fan fiction story being written by two high school girls. If you’ve stumbled into the dark, dark world of Internet fan fiction, you know where this is going. One author is all about the action, and the other is all about sex. As the pair duel it out, the fan fiction story reflects their changing stories, showing the men fighting one second and making out the next. Weirdly, this story is sweet and grounded when it comes to the relationship between the two writing friends, which is surprising in a video that involves having sex with lightsabers and a laser-shooting violin. If you’ve ever thought Sherlock and Watson were a little more than friends, check it out and prepare to laugh.

Episode Three, “Truck Flipper vs. Bus Puncher”

Two Hollywood producers duke it out over their competing blockbusters, and things quickly take a turn for the insane. The competing franchises are accurately called “Truck Flipper” and “Bus Puncher,” and both feature more concentrated vehicle flipping than you’ve ever seen in theaters.

It’s a story of one-upmanship as the action heroes quickly upgrade from knocking out buses to destroying planes and cruise ships. Plus, this short contains one of the best lines in the series: “I’m sorry ma’am. There’s nothing bigger we can logically punch.” This one clocks in at over 731,400 views and makes for a great lunch break watch.

Episode Four, “Freddie’s Vlog”

Freddie Wong, one of the lead filmmakers of RocketJump, decides to start vlogging, and things quickly spiral out of control. What starts off as an innocent if not boring post soon turns into helping a Russian spy escape the cops, serving time in jail, leading a revolution, and several dozen other increasingly more absurd things. The short works best as a parody of the self-absorbed nature of social media, mocking people who are adamant about gaining followers even during horrific times, but the short loses its finger-wagging quality almost immediately.

This one has some of the worst special effects and props, which makes the entire premise and execution that much better. Fake looking props work in this one, but heads up. It gets really weird around the 5:30 mark. This one currently has over 511,000 views, and while it’s funny, it’s not the best on this list.

Episode Five, “Walk and Talk”

You know how in action movies, there’s always at least one scene where special operatives intensely walk through an undercover base, shouting orders and taking files? That’s essentially what this is for four minutes. As the military personnel (at least one of them works at the CIA) walk, dramatic music and industrial background framing the shots, they keep talking. However, their conversation quickly turns from business to anything but.

There are two things I really love about this sketch. First, there’s the conversation between the two men, which jumps from casual work out updates to confiding that one man has forgotten what his mother’s face looks like. The second best part is the reveal at the end. I won’t spoil anything, but it’s worth it to see where the pair is going. At over 697,000 views, you won’t be watching alone.

Episode Six, “Jess’ Big Date”

This one is a winner, you guys. Jess is a spy doing her normal spy things — torturing perps. However, she has to interrupt her interrogation to go on a date she forgot about. There’s only one small problem — the restaurant they go to is filled with people who want her dead.

Out of all the videos, this one had some of the best acting, dialogue, and by far the best fight sequences. Specifically, the decision to intercut Jess’ amazing fight scenes with her oh-so-boring date made for some amazing comedy. However, what I love most about this one is that it gave Ashly Burch a leading role, and she kills it. Burch plays several background characters throughout the series, but if her single gal, Black Widow act is any indication, she needs more headlining roles. She can do cheesy, exasperated, and awesome and make it authentic. At over 401,000 views, this watch count is kind of low compared to others on this list, but you need to watch.

Episode Seven, “Keep Off The Grass”

Have you ever thought about what Looney Tunes would look like in real life? Of course the answer to that is “Yes, that’s why we have Space Jam,” but you can point to this video as another successful toon-infused version of real life. Completely dialogue free, this Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner homage starts with a pretty simple premise. One guy loves his lawn and doesn’t want anyone to walk on it. A second guy doesn’t want to listen to signs.

This one shows off what the world of special effects and RocketJump does best, insane violence with no repercussions. There’s a lot of falling and zany music, making it a watch that would be entertaining to anyone. Clocking in at over 316,000 views, this low watch count can probably be accredited to how long it’s bee on YouTube. The video was released this week.

Episode Eight, “Tip Jar”

This one hasn’t been released on YouTube yet, so if you want to watch, you have to be a Hulu subscriber. However, if you love the very-specific genre of black and white spy comedy thrillers, boot up that membership. The whole 14-minute short takes place in a bar, which accompanied with the Nazis and the black and white motifs, makes the whole short have a Casablanca vibe.

A spy comes into the bar and starts taking money from the bartender’s tip jar. They fight and argue, but when Nazis and other soldiers enter the picture, the whole thing descends into delightful chaos. This one is very Charlie Chaplin in inspiration but with a female lead and some great music. There isn’t a viewer count for it yet, but I would imagine it would be low with the subject matter. However, this may be one of the smartest on the list.

The Verdict

Did RocketJump: The Show create the most popular videos on the Internet? At over 4 million combined views, I’d say the answer is not so much. However, these creators did make some pretty awesome stuff in a short amount of time. It’s hard to find content that is this genuinely entertaining, innovative, well made, and free. Also, with the show being on Hulu, I think this series and its accompanying videos will likely have a long tail. Keep creating, guys.